1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an improved data processing system and, in particular, to a method and system for data processing system reliability, and more specifically, to location of faulty components.
2. Description of Related Art
As computers become more sophisticated, diagnostic and repair processes have become more complicated and require more time to complete. A service technician may xe2x80x9cchasexe2x80x9d errors through lengthy diagnostic procedures in an attempt to locate one or more components that may be causing the errors within the computer. Diagnostic procedures generally specify several possible solutions to an error or problem in order to guide a technician to a determination and subsequent resolution of the problem. However, diagnostic procedures generally point to a component that is a likely candidate for the error, and if the component is determined to be reliable, the problem may remain unresolved until the next error occurs. In addition to paying for new components, a business must also pay for the recurring labor costs of the service technician and lost productivity of the user of the error-prone computer.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to provide a method and system for efficiently diagnosing problems within data processing systems.
A method and system for performing problem determination procedures in a hierarchically organized computer system is provided. The hardware components of the data processing system are interconnected in a manner in which the components are organized in a logical hierarchy. A hardware-related error occurs, and the error is logged into an error log file. At some point in time, a diagnostics process is initiated in response to the detection of the error. The logged error may implicate a particular hardware component, and the hardware component of the data processing system is analyzed using a problem determination procedure. In response to a determination that the hardware component does not have a problem, the logically hierarchical parent hardware component of the hardware component is selected for analysis. The logically hierarchical parent hardware component is then analyzed using a problem determination procedure. The method continues to analyze the logically hierarchical parent components until the root component is reached or until a faulty component is found.